Stem changes for back problems, advice sought
errecaldia
Posts: 41
in Road general
I have two lumbar discs prolapsed and the strong advice of my physios is keep the back straight or hollowed, DO NOT allow it to round forward. Bit tricky on a bike with a sports set up!
Mine is an endurance bike, a less competitive posture than a race bike, but not anywhere near a shopper bike, Canyon CF SL8. I have already shifted the saddle all the way forward and reversed the stem which gives a few degrees uplift rather than down. I have rotated the handlebars upwards by maybe ten degrees and ride with my hands on the hoods, sometimes the bar, never the drops. I have tilted the saddle a few degrees forward. These changes don't quite give me an upright enough position, i have to work hard to keep the back from rounding and the result is hugely diminished range and pain.
The only other chnage I can think of is the chnage the stem for one which further lifts and brings back the bars. There are some adjustable stems (https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZHIQIU-Increase-Adustable-Handlebar-Aluminium/dp/B078XGKTFD/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=bike+stem+adjustable&qid=1578132318&sr=8-7 as a cheap and cheerful example) which would certainly chnage my position for the better.
My question is will this affect stability? It's a big geometry change and i'm not sure ho safe it's going to be. Can anyone comment?
Mine is an endurance bike, a less competitive posture than a race bike, but not anywhere near a shopper bike, Canyon CF SL8. I have already shifted the saddle all the way forward and reversed the stem which gives a few degrees uplift rather than down. I have rotated the handlebars upwards by maybe ten degrees and ride with my hands on the hoods, sometimes the bar, never the drops. I have tilted the saddle a few degrees forward. These changes don't quite give me an upright enough position, i have to work hard to keep the back from rounding and the result is hugely diminished range and pain.
The only other chnage I can think of is the chnage the stem for one which further lifts and brings back the bars. There are some adjustable stems (https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZHIQIU-Increase-Adustable-Handlebar-Aluminium/dp/B078XGKTFD/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=bike+stem+adjustable&qid=1578132318&sr=8-7 as a cheap and cheerful example) which would certainly chnage my position for the better.
My question is will this affect stability? It's a big geometry change and i'm not sure ho safe it's going to be. Can anyone comment?
0
Comments
-
Slamming the saddle forward and tilting it down, along with raising and rotating the bars sounds like a recipe for back problems - the position you are describing sounds absolutely horrendous.
You will get lots of replies saying 'get a bike fit' - but in this case, I think a professional bike fit is probably a good way forward, before you crock yourself permanently,0 -
I have asked about getting a bike fit: my physios know of no-one who would combine the knowledge of bike and back pathologies.0
-
Surely all you need to do is tell the fitter what the physio told you in regards to your back so they can get you in the required position?
Note that you really should be positioning the saddle to get it in the correct place in regards to the bottom bracket so your legs/feet are positioned correctly and adjusting the stem/handlebars to get your upper body & arms where you want them.0 -
Struggling to find any bike fitter at all here, middle of nowhere but the mountains are great!wongataa said:Surely all you need to do is tell the fitter what the physio told you in regards to your back so they can get you in the required position?
Note that you really should be positioning the saddle to get it in the correct place in regards to the bottom bracket so your legs/feet are positioned correctly and adjusting the stem/handlebars to get your upper body & arms where you want them.
What you describe is essentially what I'm trying to do. Pushing the saddle back and rotating it slightly forward pretty much leaves my pelvis in the same relationship to the bottom bracket as it was before: the two moves counteract each other. However, it tilts the whole body towards the handlebars, the same as lifting them up and towards me. This helps me straighten my back. The two bar changes add to this, perhaps lifting my shoulders away from the bars by 3" in total. It feels like another 2" would be good to reduce back flexion further, so the next step is to chnage the stem to one which lifts the bars and brings them back.
The question is does this affect the bike stability? It will be good for my back, but will it be OK for the bike as a machine or will it do horrible things when I have to hit the brakes hard on a 20% downhill around a corner?
0 -
Where are you located?
0 -
In France, St Jean Pied de Port, Atlantic end of the Pyrenees.racoonbilly said:Where are you located?
0 -
I have used a 70mm stem without any problems. I have read that short stems make your bike handling a bit twitchy but that is not what I found.
As others have said moving your saddle forward is a bad idea.0 -
Well in that case you need to ask around a bit. Saddle position should never be set to cure a reach problem, as pointed out earlier.errecaldia said:I have asked about getting a bike fit: my physios know of no-one who would combine the knowledge of bike and back pathologies.
0 -
Thank you all for your comments. I will find a bike fitter and tell him what my physio says I need.0
